The invention relates to an internally axed crankless rotary piston engine having a piston rotor, whereof at least one piston of the piston rotor moves through a circular annulus formed as the gap between a fixed inner wall and a sealing rotor, which defines the termination of the annulus at one point on its circumference.
The technical literature contains a large number of proposals relating to the construction of rotary piston engines and these extend back over several centuries. However, in modern times, relatively few rotary piston engines, such as e.g. the Wankel engine or the Roots blower have become widely used. The book "Einteilung der Rotationskolbenmaschinen", by Felix Wankel, Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt, Abteilung Fachverlag, Stuttgart, 1973, (English edition first published in 1965 by ILIFFE BOOKS LTD., Dorset House, Stamford Street, London, S.E. 1 under the title "Rotary Piston Machines") while not purporting to be exhaustive, surveys a large number of different known constructions and contains a proposal for their systematic classification. On the basis of existing literature, the advantages and disadvantage of these engines can only be evaluated in more detail in individual cases, because the manufacture of prototypes involves considerable expenditure. Numerous earlier constructions only appear to be worthwhile, when account is taken of the existing power requirements or the low speeds of movement, e.g. when used in the form of a steam engine.
In a rotary piston engine of this type known from German Pat. No. 180,927, dated 1905, fuel is supplied through narrow ducts in the side walls of the engine and flows via narrow ducts in the pistons and a rotating closed cylinder freely to the outside. The driving connection between the piston rotor and the stopping rotor is by frictional contacts between the two.
The problem of the prior art sought to be overcome by the present invention is to find an engine which is in particular suitable as a driver and supercharger for an internal combustion engine, which combines the advantages of a turboengine and those of a rotary piston engine in that, despite its small size, it is suitable for high through-feed rates and also has a greater efficiency than said engines as a result of lower flow losses and smaller clearances.